---
title: 7 Toys That Stand the Test of Time
date: 2023-12-05T05:30:00-05:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/7-toys-that-stand-the-test-of-time"
section: Articles
---
# 7 Toys That Stand the Test of Time

*December 5, 2023* — by [Jessica Weiss ’05](/author/jessica-weiss-05)


> From LEGO to Slinky, Alum Toy Marketer Finds ‘What’s Old is Certainly New Again’

*Toy collage 1920x1080 — Toy expert Genna Rosenberg ’95, who is teaching "Careers in the Toy Industry: Intersecting Gender, Trends and Social Impact" this semester, shares her favorite classic toys, from Strawberry Shortcake to the The Game of Life.*

Whether stacking blocks into towering structures, sending Hot Wheels careening into each other, or braiding—or chopping off—Barbie’s hair, memories of how we played with our favorite toys as kids are easy to conjure.

For Genna Rosenberg ’95, it was caring for her first Cabbage Patch Kid, Alma Bridgette, which she received when she was 8: “I adopted her and I remember changing her diaper and dressing her,” said Rosenberg, who does public relations and marketing for a range of toy companies. “She was something I was responsible for, which really taught me how to love and nurture.”

Now Rosenberg is a mom of two and an enthusiastic champion for the ways that play contributes to children’s development and emerging sense of self—from unleashing creativity to cultivating empathy and resilience. Her Los Angeles-based company, GennComm, has worked to tell stories on behalf of toys and brands including SpongeBob and Pokémon; in 2021, she was named an official Toy Association Genius of Play Ambassador, and earlier this year, she was named *License Global* magazine's inaugural Catalyst for Change. (Her company also develops its own products, including the memory foam insides of [Squeezamals](https://bhteddybear.com/pages/squeezamals).)

This semester she’s back at the University of Maryland to teach “Careers in the Toy Industry: Intersecting Gender, Trends and Social Impact,” a class in the [Harriet Tubman Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies](https://wgss.umd.edu/) that exposes students to the diverse range of career paths within the $114 billion global industry, as well as the way these jobs can create social impact. As part of the course, students heard from toy company executives from Minecraft to Mattel and even traveled to Toy Fair in New York City.

\[[*Alum at the Center of a ‘Barbie’ World:* ](https://today.umd.edu/alum-at-the-center-of-a-barbie-world)*[5 Fantastic Facts About the Grad in Charge at Mattel](https://today.umd.edu/alum-at-the-center-of-a-barbie-world)*\]

Rosenberg, who majored in [women’s studies](https://wgss.umd.edu/) and [journalism](https://merrill.umd.edu/), shared with Maryland Today some of her all-time favorite toys to consider adding to gift lists this holiday season. In spite of constant innovation in the industry (and ever present competition with screens and apps for kids), these classics never go out of style: “What’s old is certainly new again when it comes to toys.”


*The Game of Life*



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*Silver slinky*



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*toy microphone*



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*strawberry shortcake*



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*potholder loom*



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*Pac-Man  eating things*



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*multicolored LEGOs*




**Topics:** [People](https://today.umd.edu/tags/people)


**Tags:** [Journalism](https://today.umd.edu/topic/journalism), [Women's Studies](https://today.umd.edu/topic/womens-studies)


**Units:** [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)